Standing at the foot of the aging Pensacola Bay Bridge and flanked by construction workers in hardhats and neon safety vests, Gov. Rick Scott said Monday that the $398 million bridge replacement will be a boon for the local economy.

The six-lane bridge, scheduled to be completed in 2020, is expected to create more than 4,000 local jobs, said Scott, who was in town to officially kick off the bridge construction project.

Construction crews began driving the bridge pilings and doing other preparatory work on the new bridge back in March.

"This bridge represents great news for northwest Florida and for the investment in roads and infrastructure in this part of the state," said Scott, who also touted a $4 billion increase in the state's transportation budget during his tenure as governor.

Buy Photo

Work on the Pensacola Bay Bridge replacement continues. Gov. Rick Scott made a visit to the $398 million construction project on Monday, June 26, 2016.(Photo: Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com)

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Dew and newly appointed Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis also attended the event, along with members of the local legislative delegation and Mayor Ashton Hayward.

Built in 1960 and listed as structurally deficient by state transportation planners, the existing Pensacola Bay Bridge carries approximately 55,000 drivers back and forth between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze each day.

Pensacola area leaders praised the governor and others in Tallahassee for funding the bridge without collecting tolls.

"We couldn't have done this without the governor and his commitment to the Panhandle. When this project is finished, we will have a bridge that is not tolled. That is not typical anywhere else in this state," said State Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze.

The bridge is being constructed by Atlanta-based Skanska USA Civil Southeast Inc. According to the company's timeline, the existing bridge is scheduled to be torn down sometime after the start of 2019. Traffic will flow in both directions from the eastbound stretch of the new bridge until the westbound stretch is finished in 2020.